Our Seventeenth International Tour was a HUGE Success! Here’s a little diary of what we did, for anyone interested!
Day 1
After an overnight flight from Toronto, we arrived at Gatwick, London, in a state of exhausted excitement! Our coach was waiting, and took us to our group hostel at Thameside, just a five minute walk from the Tube. It was modern and newly renovated, with glass walls and a brand new reception area. We took a few moments to freshen up, then began our adventure! We took the Tube to Westminster, emerging in the shadow of Big Ben, and crossed Westminster Bridge to the London Eye. Half an hour later we were in the air, slowly revolving over the city in one of the biggest ferris wheels in the world! We were able to pinpoint many of the famous places we’ll see over the next few days – including Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey. We enjoyed some free time on the South Bank, during which the sky clouded and rain came down in bucketloads! We charged back to the Tube and headed to the hostel for a late dinner, and bed. Today was thrilling, but by 10pm our rooms were silent – thanks to jet lag!
After an overnight flight from Toronto, we arrived at Gatwick, London, in a state of exhausted excitement! Our coach was waiting, and took us to our group hostel at Thameside, just a five minute walk from the Tube. It was modern and newly renovated, with glass walls and a brand new reception area. We took a few moments to freshen up, then began our adventure! We took the Tube to Westminster, emerging in the shadow of Big Ben, and crossed Westminster Bridge to the London Eye. Half an hour later we were in the air, slowly revolving over the city in one of the biggest ferris wheels in the world! We were able to pinpoint many of the famous places we’ll see over the next few days – including Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey. We enjoyed some free time on the South Bank, during which the sky clouded and rain came down in bucketloads! We charged back to the Tube and headed to the hostel for a late dinner, and bed. Today was thrilling, but by 10pm our rooms were silent – thanks to jet lag!
Day 2
After a hearty cooked breakfast, we headed back in to London on the Tube (subway). This morning, I ran a walking tour around the main sights. We saw Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Downing Street, Buckingham Palace (with the Changing of the Guards), St. James’ Park, the Horse Guards Parade, The Mall, and ended up at Trafalgar Square for a picnic lunch. In the early afternoon, we split into two groups. Some campers chose to head back down to Westminster Abbey for a more detailed tour, while others explored the National Gallery. We all met up later to sightsee in Covent Gardens and do some souvenir shopping. We found a terrific place nearby for an Italian dinner, and then tonight enjoyed an absolute highlight of the tour – a production of War Horse in the West End. Tonight ended with storytelling as all our campers learned of the fate of the Welsh Prince Gruffydd who died in the Tower of London.
Day 3This morning was the British Museum, and this afternoon the Tower of London, where most of our campers enjoyed a hilarious tour run by the Yeoman’s Guard (Beefeaters). We saw the Crown Jewels, explored the White Tower, met the tower’s Ravens, saw Traitor’s Gate and much more. After another shared dinner, we headed to The Scoop close by HMS Belfast, where we saw our second play of the trip – a production of Brecht’s early play, The Mother. Lucky for us, the production ended with a Q & A session with the actors and director. We ended the London portion of our trip in a spectacular way, watching the lights of London flicker on the River Thames as we wandered back to the Tube.
Day 4Our coach picked us up after another full English breakfast, and we headed North into Oxfordshire. Urban London gave way to rolling countryside while most of us slept! We woke to the sight of the White Horse of Uffington stretching over the Oxfordshire Downs in bright sunshine. Today was a huge contrast to the past three days, as we intended it to be when we planned the itinerary. We walked up the hill to the horse – the most famous ancient monument in England, after Stonehenge. Most of us then explored the mysterious artificial mound that is, in folklore, the place where St. George slew his dragon. No grass grows on top, supposedly due to the poisonous effect of dragon blood! After a picnic on the top of the White Horse, we explored the remains of the iron age fort of Uffington, then took a 4 mile circular walk across the Ridgeway (Britain’s oldest road, 
stretching back 3,000 years) through gorgeous countryside and down to the quaint and ancient village of Woolstone, with its thatched cottages and Norman church. There, we relaxed and ate local ice cream, before tackling the uphill road back to our coach. We had intended to explore Wayland Smithy - a Neolithic Burial Chamber – using the coach, but the road was closed to traffic, and since everyone was ‘game’, we walked there, instead – a further two miles! The burial chamber – named for a mysterious invisible ghost who wanders the area – was set in the centre of an atmospheric grove, and well worth the walk.
stretching back 3,000 years) through gorgeous countryside and down to the quaint and ancient village of Woolstone, with its thatched cottages and Norman church. There, we relaxed and ate local ice cream, before tackling the uphill road back to our coach. We had intended to explore Wayland Smithy - a Neolithic Burial Chamber – using the coach, but the road was closed to traffic, and since everyone was ‘game’, we walked there, instead – a further two miles! The burial chamber – named for a mysterious invisible ghost who wanders the area – was set in the centre of an atmospheric grove, and well worth the walk.We headed back to our coach footsore and content, and continued on to our next youth hostel, a lovely Edwardian house in the village of Alveston, just outside Stratford-Upon-Avon. There, a three course meal awaited us – and a well earned evening of relaxation!
Day 5This morning, we walked down the road to Charlecote Park, arriving at the Stately Home by way of the deer park. It was wonderful to walk through the ancient deer enclosures as the morning mist burned off the grass, and see the deer scatter in all directions. We explored the treasures of the house (built in 1558) moments after it opened, and then – just to prove that Brits can be fairly eccentric – watched a bizarre outdoor show that involved several sheepdogs rounding up ducks! After a picnic lunch, we took the bus into Stratford, and caught our first sight of the newly-renovated Royal Shakespeare Theatre. We took a tour to the top of the viewing tower, seeing the Warwickshire countryside stretching off in all directions, and enjoyed a backstage tour which included the lighting and stage manager’s booth, and the wings of the brand new theatre, as well as both auditoriums. This afternoon also included plenty of free time to shop for souvenirs. The traditional English sweet shops were a huge hit with the campers! Tonight, we made our own dinner in the youth hostel, and relaxed.
Day 6We began our second day in te English Midlands with a walk along the River Avon to see Shakespeare’s burial site, and the famous curse. Afterwards, we shared a picnic by the river, and went as a group to visit Shakespeare’s Birthplace, including a new museum. We were just in time to catch a performance of the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet, in which Juliet leaned out of the casement of the room where Shakespeare was born, and Romeo spoke his lines from the garden below. The late afternoon saw more free time for our campers. Some of them chose to explore other houses connected with Shakespeare, such as New Place, parts of which archeologists are currently excavating. Others visited a butterfly farm, or shopped for souvenirs. Tonight, we ate traditional fish ‘n’ chips before attending the Swan Theatre for an evening performance of Pinter’s play, The Homecoming.
Day 7Our last full day in Stratford began with a workshop run for us by the Royal Shakespeare Company. The workshop was themed around Macbeth, but also included a lot of insider information about the RSC, and a chance to try out some of their warm up exercises. This afternoon, a group of us booked to see an additional piece of theatre in the new Royal Shakespeare Theatre - A Midsummer Night’s Dream. This was followed by a boat trip down the River Avon, a meal at an Indian restaurant and an evening performance of Macbeth. The production of Macbeth was fabulous – the witches were replaced by the spirits of children, and they also played the children of Macduff, and made ghostly apearances in several other scenes within the play. It was very much a production of ideas, and as with all the other productions we saw on this trip, we spent a lot of time discussing it afterwards.
Day 8Today was our final full day in England – this was such a busy, action packed trip that the days flew past! Our coach arrived for us after breakfast and we travelled to Oxford to spend the morning in the Pitt Rivers Museum. This is a really fascinating place, filled with hundreds of thousands of discoveries brought by Victorian explorers from all cultures of the world. We saw everything from ceremonial spears to shrunken heads and partially unravelled mummies. Unfortunately, due to repairs, the pickled dragon was not on display. I’d promised our campers they would see this, so here’s the closest I can get to it – a photo – just to prove I wasn’t kidding!
After the morning in Pitt Rivers, we lunched on the grass outside, under a warm summer sun, then a few campers chose to spend even longer exploring Pitt Rivers, while others got to view an Oxford College. Balliol may be small in terms of acreage, but is one of the oldest colleges in Oxford, perhaps even the oldest – dating back to the 1200s.
After our day in Oxford, we travelled South to our final stop on the tour – a Bed & Breakfast just five minutes from Gatwick. We shared a last meal together at a local eatery, some campers sampling British desserts such as treacle pudding and custard. We did our final ‘roses and thorns’ in the guest lounge, before packing for a morning flight home.
This was a truly amazing tour. Campers saw some of the best that England has to offer – fabulous theatre, castles and stately homes, historic monuments, museums, galleries, ancient remains, gorgeous countryside and more. For me, a definite highlight was the stimulating discussions we had after each piece of theatre we saw. What makes a great piece of theatre? How do you tell the difference between a good performance and an exceptional one? How does a director place his mark on a show? What are the challenges of directing, designing and acting for a thrust stage? What makes the Royal Shakespeare Company so great? There is no doubt that our campers learned an enormous amount about theatre in one short week – and for those who go on to study arts in university, it’s hard to imagine an experience more valuable than this.
And so concludes summer 2011! As I write this blog, the Toronto office is back up and running, and we are already assembling ideas for next year. Thank you all for sharing this summer with us… and we’ll see you all in 2012!
More photos are available on our facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/centauriteentours
Check out the website for details of the 2012 tour and previous tours! www.centauriartscamp.com